Results tagged ‘ Opening Day ’
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #1
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#1: Next Year Is Here
This offseason may have seemed torturously long. The sudden void of passion from the greatest season in franchise history coming to a screeching halt might have made the winter months seem like years. That’s what happens when your team’s games mean more. It is an unavoidable side effect of winning.
Last season was all about potential, about the new car smell of a winning franchise. But we are not here to rehash last year any longer.
We’ve come here to bury Pete Kozma, not to praise him.
Once the reality of last season was accepted, the focus turned to next year. And now, as you sit reading this, next year has, at long last, become this year.
This year is about expectation. The return of Adam LaRoche. The additions of Dan Haren, Denard Span and Rafael Soriano. Full seasons of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper for the first time.
The stakes have been raised. Make no mistake, that’s a good thing. Before Sports Illustrated, or ESPN, or anyone else had a chance to raise them from the outside, Davey Johnson set the tone – just as he did last year. And just as we did last year, when we told you that the clock had started on the Nationals window of contention, on this Opening Day, we’ll tell it to you straight.
We’ll never forget Game 5, but we’ll always remember Game 4 as well. We have experienced the joy of must-win victory, but we yearn for more, for the chance to savor it this year. However, we also know that nothing is guaranteed.
October is not an entitlement. It is earned every day, in Washington and in the 18 cities across the nation to which the Nationals will travel this year. Because there is no October until after September, and August, and July, all the way back to April, to right here, right now.
It’s time to launch the journey that will define this year, and possibly many years of Washington baseball past and present.
It’s time to begin.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #2
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#2: Nationals Publications Go Digital
At the Nationals Park offices in Southeast D.C., we’re always looking for ways to deliver new experiences and cutting-edge technology to you, our loyal fans. That mindset has led to the creation of our popular Red Carpet Rewards program and has evolved into The Ultimate Ballpark Access platform – the next generation of ticketing we described on these pages last Wednesday.
Today, we’re announcing an additional concept for the 2013 season: a new digital component for Nationals Magazine and Inside Pitch.
For those of you who choose to enjoy our publications in the traditional way – picking up copies at the ballpark, flipping through the pages at your seat and setting them on your coffee table at home after the game – you’ll still find our feature stories, photographs, stats and much more. But for those fans who want to get additional, interactive content directly on your smart phone, mobile device or computer, we’re here to deliver.
If you want to watch a clip from Bryce Harper’s on-camera interview to supplement the written article on your page, you can. If you want to see a full gallery of photos to complement the photo on your page, you can. Or if you want to watch the highlights from the previous Nationals game, you can do that as well.
Viewing that content is simple. Throughout each publication, you’ll find digital content boxes that allow you to VISIT (an internet link) TEXT (a shortcode) or SCAN (a quick response or “QR” barcode). For example, nationals.com/mag will send you to Nationals Magazine content. For the text message shortcodes, text the code listed to 91347. To view a QR code, scan it using an app on your mobile device. There are plenty of free QR apps available in your app store of choice.
So, welcome to the 2013 season and the latest evolution of the official publications of your Washington Nationals. We hope you’ll share your feedback – positive, negative or otherwise – in the comments below or by sending us an email at CurlyW@nationals.com.
Enjoy!
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #3
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#3: Davey’s Last Stand
Davey Johnson made it clear heading into the 2013 season that this would be his last at the helm of the Washington Nationals. Twice a World Series Champion as a player, the four-time All-Star and two-time Manager of the Year looks to finish his storied career in storybook style. With the excitement and anticipation surrounding the 2013 Nationals, we can’t imagine anyone better holding the reins.
Read all about Davey’s Last Stand in your free copy of Inside Pitch, available now at Nationals Park.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #4
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#4: Changing of the Guard
For years, the American League East has been looked at as the gold standard among baseball’s divisions, often stacked three or four deep with postseason-caliber clubs. Last year, the Baltimore Orioles laid claim to a Wild Card spot behind the New York Yankees, and the Rays remained in contention until late in the season.
This season, the Yankees are facing a number of injuries to key players, including back-to-back 40 home run-hitter Curtis Granderson and three-fourths of their starting infield in Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. The Red Sox traded away star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and free agent acquisition Carl Crawford along with veteran rotation mainstay Josh Beckett. Tampa Bay sent stalwart starter James Shields to Kansas City in return for top prospect Wil Myers, who will start the year at Triple-A Durham. Baltimore made few improvements to a club that many believed overachieved last season. Really, only Toronto, a 73-win club a year ago, made significant improvements. Given all that, can the AL East really be considered the class of the sport anymore?
Jordan Zimmermann and counterpart Andy Pettite symbolize the shift in power of the respective defending Eastern Division Champions.
One need look no further than its National League counterpart to find a good argument that the power has shifted. The Nationals return a young, potentially improved team from the version that won an MLB-best 98 games in 2012. Atlanta, itself a 94-game winner, plugged the holes created by losses of Chipper Jones and Michael Bourn by acquiring both Upton brothers to complement their young core. Even Philadelphia, coming off a disappointing season, is primed for some measure of return to the form that saw the Phillies win five straight division crowns prior to last season. The Mets still have David Wright and some talented young arms emerging. Only the Marlins seem destined for a true rebuilding year.
That being said, a Nationals-Yankees matchup still offers plenty of intrigue. More still, when one looks at the starting pitching matchup, a duel of two likeable, workmanlike stars in Jordan Zimmermann and Andy Pettitte.
While Roger Clemens garnered many more headlines in his heyday, it was the quiet, affable Pettitte who was so universally admired and who thrived consistently in the background. He was content to succeed without the hype, much the same way that Zimmermann continues to progress into one of the best young pitchers in the game, despite the shadow cast by fellow rotation-mates Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez.
Consider Zimmermann’s accomplishments to this point in his career: the Nationals hidden ace has posted a lower ERA (3.47 to 3.75) and WHIP (1.208 to 1.358) with a substantially better K/BB rate (3.50 to 2.05) than the often more heralded Pettitte over their same aged seasons.
And so, as the two teams and starters meet Friday afternoon in our Nation’s Capital, one could say it will mark a symbolic changing of the guard. The defending champions of their respective divisions, a quiet ace and his veteran squad coming face-to-face with their ascending, youthful counterparts.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #5
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#5: The Ultimate Ballpark Access
New for 2013, we’re revolutionizing the fan experience at Nationals Park with The Ultimate Ballpark Access. It’s the next generation of ticketing, and it’s exclusively for Nationals fans.
Like anything new and different it will take a little while to get used to, but once you start reaping the benefits we’re sure you’ll be thrilled.
Simply put: in 2013, your card is your ticket. No more worrying about keeping track of paper tickets for every game, for six months or more. Everything is reduced to a single card that fits neatly in your wallet.
By moving your entire Season Plan online, we’ve allowed you to add partners to your plan and share seats via email with just a click. Want to trade in your seats for another game ahead of time? Easy, just use the Future Exchange Program. Miss a game without having a chance to exchange your seats? Turn them in this year and you’ll receive Red Carpet Rewards Points, which you can use to bid on special experiences, autographed items and merchandise, using the new auction feature.
And yes, as many of you have asked, you can still have commemorative tickets printed at the advanced ticket sales window, should you so desire, for only a $3 fee. All proceeds will go directly to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation.
Still have questions? Hopefully this will help. And as the crowds continue to grow at Nationals Park, hopefully you will continue to reap the rewards.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #6
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#6: Bryce Harper – What’s Next?
So far, so good. Bryce Harper entered the league as perhaps the most heralded young prospect in baseball history, and lived up to the nearly overwhelming expectations levied upon him by capturing the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Aptly named after one of Harper’s idols, Jackie Robinson, the award seemed almost predestined to be Harper’s after his signature moment of the 2012 campaign – the teenager’s steal of home off of Phillies hurler Cole Hamels. It’s a move so connected with Robinson with that the image of him doing so is emblazoned upon the trophy itself.
Harper swiped 18 bags while swatting 22 home runs, all in just 139 games. He electrified crowds with his hustle, his raw power and his cannon arm in the outfield. More importantly, he solidified a Nationals lineup as it came into its own, and was instrumental in the run to the club’s first-ever postseason appearance.
So, what’s next? Only time will tell. Make sure to pick up a copy of Nationals Magazine – available at the ballpark starting this Friday, March 29 – in which we talk to Harper about how he hopes to build off his stellar inaugural year.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #7
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#7: More Season Plan Holders
With the success of the team on the field last season, it should be no surprise that the Nationals Season Plan Holder base continues to grow. And just as the franchise develops into a perennial contender, our fans are becoming louder, more passionate and more informed about their favorite club. From the front office, it’s a pleasure to watch the two transformations happen simultaneously, feeding off one another.
When fans attend the games together, it fosters a sense of community. A mutual shared interest becomes something greater, something that crosses racial, political, or economic boundaries to bring a region together. And as the season grows longer and more tense, the games ever more important, it is the moments spent together with your friends and neighbors in the cool spring nights and the summer heat that make the impending autumn so much more meaningful.
Regardless of whether you’ve been with the team since they opened RFK with the return of baseball to The District in 2005 or are brand new to the family this year, there is one thing we can all agree on: there has never been a better time to be a Nationals Season Plan Holder. If you are still on the fence, remember that the only way to get tickets to sold-out Opening Day is to purchase a Full or Half Season Plan. And also remember that you’ve only got until March 31 to get your 2013 plan at 2012 prices.
The season is almost upon us. We can’t wait.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #8
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#8: Bobbleheads and Concerts and Tweet-ups (oh my!)
The guesses at this year’s bobblehead class ranged far and wide, including many of your favorites on the Nats roster. And while Gio Gonzalez and Bryce Harper were popular – and correct – guesses, few saw Davey Johnson on the list until the clues began being revealed in our Bobblehead Trivia Challenge.
We had guesses and questions flying in from all corners of the web, fans trying to ply us for information. Here was an excerpt of one of our favorites from last Wednesday, after three clues had been revealed, via email:
If only 5 digits are ultimately revealed representing the jersey numbers for 3 players, then 2 of the players must have 2-digit jersey numbers and the third player must have only 1 digit. There are only 3 players with 1 digit jersey numbers (http://nationals.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=was): Steve
Lombardozzi (1), Denard Span (2) and Danny Espinosa (8). None of these numbers have been the solution to any of the first three clues, therefore one of them (1, 2, or 8) must be revealed by the final two clues.
As mentioned, two of the digits revealed are the number 4. There is no #44 on the active roster, therefore the number 4 must appear in both jersey numbers of the players with 2-digit jersey numbers. Because the answer to clue #2 is 5, and that isn’t the number for any of the single-digit players on the roster (http://nationals.mlb.com/team/roster_active.jsp?c_id=was), it must be paired with one of the 4s.
In short, based on the answers to the clues and the limited number of clues/digits remaining, one of the jersey numbers must be either 45 or 54. Currently there are no players with either number on the roster.
After some careful thought, our fan put two and two together and realized that, in spite of his correct math, there was one more possibility – Davey Johnson, our third and final bobblehead of 2012.
Congrats to our grand prize winner, Ellie Spitzer. And here’s your first look at our first bobblehead of the year, Gio Gonzalez, on Saturday, April 13.
We know you’re also eagerly awaiting the unveiling of our NatsLive FREE postgame concert series, which we will be announcing soon. Finally, we’ll also be expanding our in-park social media events this season, so make sure you’re following us on both Facebook and Twitter for those announcements and special offers as they are announced later this year. Click here for an updated list of promotions to date.
13 Things We’re Excited About for 2013: #9
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In the lead up to Opening Day at Nationals Park on April 1, we’re counting down 13 things we’re excited about on and off the field heading into the 2013 season. Be sure to check back each day as we add another item to the list and get one day closer to the return of baseball to Washington!
#9: A Full Season of the Face of the Franchise
As well as last season played out overall for the Nationals, it was hardly devoid of setbacks. Most of the everyday position players suffered injury issues at one point or another, with Ian Desmond, Michael Morse, Wilson Ramos, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman all requiring disabled list stints. Each of those five were productive when they were healthy, though perhaps none more than Zimmerman.
Over his final 90 games, Zimmerman posted a slash line of .321/.383/.504 with 26 doubles, 22 home runs and 73 RBI. To put that in perspective, had he hit at his “healthy” rate for the 145 games in which he played, he would have finished the season with 42 doubles, 35 home runs and 118 RBI, even missing 17 games on the season. Those totals would have ranked tied for fifth, third, and first in the National League, respectively, and Zimmerman would have finished third in the NL batting race. Simply put, he played like an MVP from June 24 on, then went on to lead the team in hits, extra-base hits and RBI in the postseason.
As Spring Training comes to a close, Zimmerman’s throwing shoulder – repaired via offseason surgery – appears to be at full strength, and he enters Sunday’s game batting .351 in the Grapefruit League. It appears he will hit fourth in the Washington lineup, sandwiched comfortably between Rookie of the Year Bryce Harper and Silver Slugger Adam LaRoche. With the promise of a full season ahead of him, the Face of the Franchise – smack in the prime of his career at age 28 – may just be primed for his best season yet in a Nationals uniform.
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